Across the EU and beyond, national and regional governments have implemented excellence initiatives promoting institutional transformation and upgrading of the research and innovation (R&I) dimension of universities through large injections of public funding. Excellence initiatives establish or enhance universities' competitiveness through benchmarking and the provision of performance[1]related funding for innovative research, governance and collaboration. As part of the 'Towards a European Excellence Initiative' study, this report presents findings from a mapping of such initiatives, provides benchmarks with initiatives outside EU, extrapolates models for excellence
initiatives, and offers recommendations on how a future European excellence initiative could fill gaps in the R&I system.